KUCHING: The Pikabol Podium Challenge 3.0: Re-Gen Edition drew 106 players from across Malaysia, introducing a new circuit-style format aimed at raising competition standards and ensuring fairer seeding.
Held at Pikabol Malaysia last Saturday (May 10), the tournament featured three categories – men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles.
Tournament Director, Emmanuel David, known as Coach Ujai, said the men’s division saw the highest turnout, with many seasoned players drawn to the competitive and transparent nature of the circuit system.
“This time around, we’ve moved away from novice and intermediate levels to focus on intermediate and open categories.
“Men are more eager to take on the open challenge. We’re working to encourage more women to step up,”Ujai told Sarawak Tribune recently.
Under the new format, players compete in at least four matches to earn rankings from positions 1 to 32.
The top 16 players will be seeded in future tournaments, leading to fairer draws and more competitive matches.
“We used to have disputes over who should be seeded.
“Now, rankings are earned on court. Strong pairs with balanced skills are rewarded, not just those with one standout player,” Ujai said.
Despite the high level of competition, Ujai said camaraderie remained strong throughout the event, especially in the men’s category, which featured several national-level players and former champions.
“Even those who didn’t win appreciated the quality of their opponents. That’s what makes the game worth playing,” he added.
Winners included Izzul Aizuddin and Eugenia David in the mixed doubles, Maggie Ng and Leetizia Liani in the women’s doubles, and Mark Leong and Izzul Aizuddin in the men’s doubles.
The tournament was hosted with support from Re-Gen, an energy and recovery drink brand co-founded by former MMA fighter, Peter Davis, in line with the event’s mission to promote health, performance and community through the fast-growing sport of pickleball.
